The First Indianapolis 500 and the Man Who Invented the Rearview Mirror

In addition to being a top driver, Ray Harroun was an engineering visionary whose innovations shaped the worlds of motorsports and the automotive industry. 

The rearview mirror became standard safety equipment in most vehicles in the mid-1970s. (Abieza reswara/Shutterstock); American racing driver and engineer Ray Harroun (1879–1968) invented the rearview mirror to compete in the Indianapolis 500. Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum Ray Harroun. Public Domain

The inaugural Indianapolis 500-Mile Race was unprecedented. Some 90,000 spectators packed the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 30, 1911, to catch a glimpse of a high-speed, groundbreaking, dangerous, and hair-raising event.

Ray Harroun pushed the margins of innovation, which made him stand out among the 40 drivers. Epitomizing both the progress and potential of racing, he rolled onto the brick-paved oval in something he had helped design. It was bright yellow and black, emblazoned with the number 32, and nicknamed the Marmon Wasp as a nod to its color combination and manufacturer.